once upon a time five years ago
the last few months asked: “you fool, is this the end?”
Aloha dear reader,
We’re approaching the 5 year anniversary of the Foolsletter here.
When I was working, helping Ricky in the delivery truck, I was concerned that I couldn’t make it this far.
My back was sore, my throat exhausted and every cell of my being buzzed from the vibration of the thunder truck.
Every day I felt lost.
Every day writing was a chore.
Every day before I wrote, I thought to myself Jimmy, what the hell do you have to say anyway?
And every day I’d tell myself to just do the work and keep going.
And now that I’m no longer an employee of a global logistics company, big things are in motion.
Last year, I did a lot of ultra distance bike riding and fell in love with tour guiding.
This year?
This year is the second lap of both.
And now during the heart of winter?
I’m preparing for both.
And so far things are a lot more clear this second time around.
But that’s how things go on a bike.
You need to hit a trail three times, the first time you experience it, the second time you have an idea what’s coming and on the third trip you really get to play.
Pre-ride, re-ride and free ride, baby.
But first?
Pre-pair!
Stay foolish dear reader!
I tell my students that I don't understand people who expect to read a text question and answer it.
I have a three-read process: the first read is to get the gist of what is going on. It's an orientation.
The second read is to pull out the facts and make your notes.
The third read is to verify you got the facts straight and confirm what is required.
It looks like overkill, but it's a process that takes the stress out of perfect performance and it increases my chances of being right by a staggering factor.
We both have embraced the three pass process. The first two times aren't about performance. It's about gathering data for the performance that counts. There is patience built into that and a recognition that practice makes perfect-ish.